Rich Chinese will help build a bridge in New York

Today, if you wish, you can buy anything, including the American dream. Having 500 thousands of dollars in your pocket, a foreigner can open a business in America, hire ten employees and receive a “green card” in six months.

The Immigrant Investor Program, shortly called EB-5, was developed by Congress in 1990 and launched in 1992. According to official data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, it was created “with the aim of stimulating the country's economy through the creation of jobs and the attraction of capital from foreign investors.”

Investors have a choice. They can start a business from scratch, they can acquire an existing company, they can join together to invest money in large projects. In addition to capital investments, foreign investors are committing themselves to create ten full-time jobs for Americans for two years.

Foreign capital in the United States is increasingly attracted to large infrastructure projects. These include the reconstruction and construction of bridges, such as the Tappan-Zie Bridge in New York State, which connects the banks of the Hudson.

The estimated construction cost exceeds 3,9 billion dollars. The 3 bridge will, according to plans, begin to erect 2018 miles in April. The new design will replace the old Tappan-Zi bridge, built by 60 years ago.

Michael Mattox, the head of a Seattle-based construction company, already has experience attracting foreign investors who want to get a green card. He and his colleagues managed to collect more than 50 million dollars from 95 wealthy foreigners. Funds went to the construction of a bridge in Washington State.

In China, there are agents who promote the program among successful entrepreneurs. The colorful advertising brochures are viewed by US President Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and in the ad text the program participants promise an easy path to American citizenship and financial stability.

However, Mattox and his colleagues find investors not only in China.

“Most of our investors are worth several million dollars,” says Michael Mattocks. “They come from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brazil, Colombia and many other countries. People from all over the world are ready to invest their money in the US economy.”

By the way, one of the largest projects implemented thanks to foreign investors is the huge sports arena Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Thanks to foreigners, a large modern stadium has grown up on the site of abandoned railway tracks. According to Bloomberg News, $200 million of investment came from foreign investors under the EB-5 program. Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire and owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, also helped build the arena, investing several million dollars.